The Gear Head Project
Recently the Whitefish Education Foundation made a donation of $8,750 for the “Gear Head Project”. This will help complete the art project in association with Stumptown Art Studio for the collaborative student and community sculpture project that is currently being built on the pathway from Whitefish High School to the CSE building.
WEF asked Whitefish alum (WHS 2020) , Devin Beale and lead artist at Stumptown Arts Studio, Charity Flowers to share their experiences in creating this local collaborative art project.
Is Gear Head the official title for this project?
DB: I talked with Charity about this question and we have not come up with a name yet. We should have a final name here in the near future, we’re just getting input from everyone in the project and students about a good and final name.
CF: This is not the official title. We are planning on having the students name the piece. I am going to ask them to look back at the work they have done and think about what the sculpture represents. Each student will submit a name and we will choose a winner!
What’s the background story of this idea and how did it manifest to where it is today?
DB: For me, I was an ambitious senior artist, ready to jump into the world of art and share with the community what I had to offer. I loved being a part of something so much bigger than myself, and art was always something that I could use to positively impact the people around me.
I think Mr. Drown, Mrs. Drown, and Charity saw that, and they came to me at the start of my senior year to discuss this project. We wanted something big, something meaningful, and something to positively impact the younger generations of students, as well as the community.
Personally, I see this sculpture/installation as a symbol to inspire and encourage students and the community to pursue our dreams. As cliche as that sounds, time is precious, especially at my age right now.
This is a special time to us to find ourselves, be ambitious, and explore the world for what it has to offer. And if you can work together, the possibilities are endless, and you can have one incredible journey.
CF: We started with a few ideas for the wall in the conference room at Whitefish High School. The Tree of knowledge was chosen and the Gear Head idea was set aside. After the completion of the Tree mosaic, Mr. Drown and I revisited the idea of the Gear Heads and if it would be feasible to place them in front of the Sustainability Center. We started planning for this idea to become an outdoor installation.
We wanted this to be a student driven sculpture with as much input from the students as possible. Devin was brought in early on during the planning stages. He worked on the design of the heads, mock ups and architectural renderings. Unfortunately, COVID paused everything. We are back now and we have a great team working on the project.
Mr. Cassaza is working with his students on designing and laying the foundation.
Mr. Boyle has worked with his group on scaling up the design, getting it into a CAD program and welding the heads.
Mr. Bonds and his students will be designing the gear layout on the arch and working through the color and patina process. We have also had a ton of community support for this project.
Without the community’s help, we wouldn’t have been able to work on such a major installation.
Darcy Shellinger has been on our team and joined us at our meetings. She has donated all of the concrete for Mark Cassaza’s students to work with.
Branton Sorbel, of DCI Engineers, is our structural engineer and his company has donated all of their time. He is making sure everything is safe!
Students have also worked out at Countryside Welding. Ryder Delaloye, has set up an internship for our students to work out at Countryside Welding. I believe it is the first internship of this kind set up though the school board. Our hope is to give the students some real world experience with the arts and building trades.
Ty Cameron, Gabby Harick and Will Peppmeier are the students who are participating in the internship. They are listed at the end of the contact sheet.
The overview from the Whitefish School District states, “ …it will serve as a gateway for students to dream big and envision a future filled with possibility.” As creatives, what vision do you want conveyed about this project?
DB: I think that sums up the general statement for the project. I think sub statements/perspectives could be pulled from the project too. Due to the fact that I am a current student, Mr. Drown is the principal, and Charity is a well-established artist in the community.
In my opinion, I don’t think I’m old enough to tell my younger peers to dream big and envision a future filled with possibility, since I am only a college student and have yet to experience very much of the real world.
Personally, I think my statement/role in this project is to inspire and lead the way, and show my younger peers and future generations that it is possible to pursue these kinds of dreams and ambitions.
A lot of high school students feel like they need to shrink down and restrict themselves so that they can comfort the people around them and feel like they belong. If I pursue my dreams and ambitions, and create this sculpture in that image, I can inspire those high school students and the people around me to do the same.
CF: This is also my vision for the students…… to think creatively, problem solve creatively and to engineer creatively.
Devin, what was your experience like at WHS and was there any influential aspects of your time there that helped you on your current journey?
DB: My experience at WHS was one crazy rollercoaster ride. At times I felt like I was never going to make it, felt like my life was over, and so much more. And of course, what’s high school without a little relationship drama too?
Overall, I struggled to find a balance between who I wanted to be and who everyone wanted me to be.
Being involved with 5 different sports, extracurriculars, clubs, and more, I was consistently overwhelmed with all the things on my plate. And throughout my high school journey, there were many people that impacted my life in a positive way and showed me different lessons in order to prioritize and pursue my dreams in a healthy manner.
Whether that be Mr. Roche, Mr. Ross, Mr. Collinsworth, Mrs. Lacey, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Rocksund, Mr. McCrady, you name it. I was blessed to have so many awesome teachers during my time at the high school, and they all had a big impact on who I am today.
Devin as Project Coordinator what were some of the challenges you encountered coordinating this project?
DB: When I was first introduced to the project, I definitely had a hard time adjusting to the intense time constraints it held on my routine I had already established. And like most high school students, time management isn’t a very honed skill. That was the only challenge I was really faced with when it came to coordinating the project.
It also helped that I had my dad to show/teach me the ways on how to efficiently coordinate and plan a construction project.
Charity as Lead Artist, what inspired you to take on this project and what role does SAS play in this and other community creative endeavors?
CF: The first project Stumptown and Whitefish High School collaborated on was a lot of fun. I certainly had the desire to work more with the students at the high school. Envisioning such an ambitious sculpture was energizing and exciting for me.
Stumptown Art Studio’s mission is to make art accessible to everyone, in all walks of life. I believe art lives in the community. It should be interacted with, be thoughtful and joyful. There is an inherent nature in all of us to create and I hope to share that process with the students and the community through our community art projects.
The support for the arts in this community is amazing. How lucky am I to get to make art all day?! It has also been very rewarding to watch my students grow and take on creative aspects in their adult lives. Young students who I first worked with at Stumptown Art Studio are now showing their work in the Hockaday…..and my heart is full.
What’s next for each of you?
DB: As a new college student, ambitious adventurer, and spontaneous traveller, the only thing that is next for me is the world and whatever life has to offer. I have been blessed with the opportunities to explore different countries and cultures, and I have realized that this world is up for the taking. There is so much out there to experience, explore, and discover, you just have to want to pursue it.
As that being a long term goal, the question is what are all my short term goals that I am going to pursue?
Well there’s a couple. I am currently a pre-med student pursuing a doctorate in Physical Therapy. Then I am also pursuing an art degree. I am also pursuing multiple diving certifications, art opportunities, job shadowing, and a few others.
Then just recently I had a little wake up call and conversation with my family and realized I have a strong chance to pursue sports. So, for the past ten weeks I have been working out 3 times a day and pursuing D1 athletics, in hopes of landing a scholarship and pursuing my dreams athletically, while also opening doors for my future when it comes to pre-med and art.
I want to inspire and make my community proud, and one day after I’ve pursued all of those dreams and travelled the world, I’ll make it back and give it all back to the community, friends, and most importantly family, who helped me become who I am and who I will become.
CF: Summer school 🙂 I’ll be teaching Ceramics, tools and Tech. At FVCC this summer. I will also be starting work on the Baker Underpass Tunnel project.
